The young Lakers are still learning to make sense of all that goes into being a player in the NBA, and it’s becoming more apparent as the season progresses. As one the youngest rosters age-wise in the league, Los Angeles has shown the propensity to respond negatively to adversity.
Reserves Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle, Randle in particular, have seen their names included continuously in trade rumors. It’s the worst kept secret in the league that the Lakers front office is looking to offload both players. Following from Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times:
Randle’s situation is worth watching, though. The Lakers would love to trade him if they could, and Jordan Clarkson fits in that category too. Both players know they have been offered in trades by the Lakers, and they’re handling it in different ways.
The 23-year-old Randle has had one of the more confounding seasons of any Laker in uniform. Randle’s playing time has been erratic all season. This year, Randle has yet to have a firm grasp on his role all season.
All the while, head coach Luke Walton continues to preach that he wants to see more consistency from the Kentucky product.
All of this, compounded by the fact that the Lakers have been performing rather poorly on the floor, inspired the Lakers to hold a team meeting to air their grievances according to reports.
Lakers had a team meeting yesterday where players aired grievances about what’s happening on the court and, per Brandon Ingram, “the business of the organization.”
— Bill Oram (@billoram) December 29, 2017
“… I don’t think you work through it in one day,” Brandon Ingram told ESPN. “But I think we put it out there about how each guy was feeling about how they play on the basketball floor, about how they’re feeling about the business of the organization, how they want to be played or anything of that nature…”
“We just really had a heart-to-heart,” Kyle Kuzma said. “We’re just trying to get back on the same page. That happens at all levels. It’s no different. Every team has problems. Championship teams have problems and whatnot. Meetings are always good. … But, of course, everybody on the team said something about how they feel.”
